Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a method, by means of which a mobile communication terminal can be coupled automatically with a central computing unit of a motor vehicle.
Vehicle applications such as, for example, navigation, telephony, audio and visual sources, the communication connection thereof and the use thereof for other vehicle applications are processed together in the “head unit”, a central computing unit with communication devices and interfaces in the vehicle.
Here, the coupling of the head unit with a so-called “vehicle homepage” of a vehicle is of more and more significance, which homepage is operated, for example, by the vehicle manufacturer and provides a plurality of further services. A “vehicle homepage” offers a virtual representation of a vehicle on the internet, which enables the user or the vehicle owner to have access to vehicle data from the internet. The “vehicle homepage” is operated on an internet server and can be accessed independently from the vehicle, so it can be accessed even when the vehicle is switched off. In this case, however, the topicality of the vehicle data is not always ensured. At present, a “vehicle homepage” is used, for example, for electric vehicles and is used for the remote querying of the state of charge of the batteries. It can, however, also be expanded for further configuration and information queries.
Furthermore, such applications of the vehicle homepage of a vehicle can be coupled with the use of an internet-enabled communication terminal, such as a smartphone, via the central computing unit. Since, from a technical standpoint, the vehicle homepage establishes a connection between a vehicle on the one side and a user on the other, it is necessary for the vehicle to typically be able to be identified by a unique reference/identity number from the vehicle homepage, and, on the other hand, for an identification of the user to typically take place via a name/password combination. If the user wishes to gain access to the vehicle homepage via a communication terminal such as the smartphone, the user must therefore register the smartphone twice: once for use in the vehicle for the purpose of pairing with the vehicle and, once to log in to use the vehicle homepage. This is a time-consuming matter that typically takes time and is inconvenient.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a method that is comfortable for a user, which enables a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone to be coupled with a central computing unit of a motor vehicle automatically and securely, and without a manual login procedure.
The method according to the invention for the automated coupling of a mobile communication terminal with a central computing unit of a motor vehicle uses a virtual representation area of the vehicle, which is present on a vehicle home page that is provided by a server. The method comprises the following steps:                establishing a communication connection between the mobile communication terminal and the internet server and logging in with the mobile communication terminal into the virtual representation area of the motor vehicle on the vehicle home page,        exchanging pairing information, so that a “secret” between the internet server and the mobile communication terminal is established, then        establishing a communication connection between the central computing unit and the internet server for data exchange between the central computing unit and the virtual representation area of the motor vehicle on the vehicle home page,        exchanging the pairing information between the internet server and the central computing unit,        transmitting the pairing information to the central computing unit through the mobile communication terminal,        identifying and authenticating of the mobile communication terminal by the central computing unit by means of the pairing information, and finally        allowing the coupling of the mobile communication terminal with the central computing unit.        
In this way, a user can, advantageously, conveniently gain access to the vehicle homepage via a communication terminal such as the smartphone and use its service without having to register the smartphone twice, since the pairing is needed, according to the invention, only once.
The method can comprise the implementation of an algorithm for the processing of the pairing information by the central computing unit and the mobile communication terminal, in conjunction with the acquisition of a piece of processed information. Then the transmission of the pairing information of the basic method corresponds to the transmission of the processed information, and the identification and authentication of the mobile communication terminal is carried out by the central computing unit by means of the processed information.
In the method according to the invention, the exchange of information between the internet server and the mobile communication terminal and between the internet server and the central computing unit follows the transmission of the pairing information from:                the central computing unit to the internet server and to the mobile communication terminal,        the internet server to the central computing unit and to the mobile communication terminal or        the mobile communication terminal to the internet server and to the central computing unit.        
Furthermore, the method can comprise the steps of defining or generating the pairing information in advance using the central computing unit or the internet server or the mobile communication terminal, then filing the pairing information on the server and linking it to the virtual representation area of the motor vehicle and finally saving the pairing information on the central computing unit of the motor vehicle.
Furthermore, the method can comprise the expiry of validity of the pairing information taking place after the expiry of an access right of the mobile communication terminal onto the virtual representation area of the motor vehicle on the vehicle home page or after the removal of the virtual representation area on the vehicle home page. The deletion of the pairing information can be carried out on the internet server (IS) and/or the central computing unit and/or the mobile communication terminal after the coupling between the central computing unit and the communication terminal has ended.
In this way, the disconnection of a communication connection or the disconnection of a coupling inherently entails the other. If a vehicle renter or customer deletes his/her account on the vehicle homepage, the telephone should thus also no longer be approved for the use of the hands-free equipment.
During the disconnection of the coupling of the mobile communication terminal and the central computing unit, an access denial message is sent to the internet server by the central computing unit of the motor vehicle and a repeat access of the mobile communication terminal to the virtual representation area can be denied if the mobile communication terminal is not coupled again with the central computing unit of the motor vehicle.
Finally, cancellation conditions can also be configured at a desired point in time or event: The configuration of a cancellation condition of the automatic coupling between the mobile communication terminal and the central computing unit can be carried out directly on the central computing unit or via the mobile communication terminal or via the virtual representation area on the server by cancellation conditions being defined.
The method can furthermore comprise the configuration of the automatic coupling between the mobile communication terminal and the central computing units of several vehicles. Here, this leads to an exchange of pairing information or pieces of pairing information between the internet server and the central computing unit of the vehicles and to the exchange of pairing information or pieces of pairing information between the internet server and the mobile communication terminal.
In this case, some or all of the vehicles form a vehicle group, or rather a pool, to which pairing information for all vehicles is allocated.
In this way, for example, all “car2go” vehicles of a car2go pool could essentially be approved.
Furthermore, the automatic coupling between the mobile communication terminal and the central computing unit of one or more vehicles can be limited by context-specific parameters, which can be, for example, a time span or an end time. Thus, for example, an approval can take place for only the upcoming 24 hours or a defined location of use or a driver identity, should the driver identity be able to be determined separately, or for a vehicle model or vehicle type.
Furthermore, the transfer of a configuration or the limitations, with respect to several vehicles, to a subsequent motor vehicle that is used after the first vehicle, or to a motor vehicle that is used temporarily, such as a rental vehicle, can be enabled.
The compilation of the pairing information can be embodied as a cryptological key and/or a character string, in particular an initial name/password pair. The pairing information can thus be generated with the use of a vehicle identification number or a part thereof, or a device name of the mobile communication terminal or a “Bluetooth User Friendly Name” or a continuous device number.
Finally, the communicative connection between the mobile communication terminal and the central computing unit of the motor vehicle can be a wired or wireless connection, wherein the wireless connection is provided by means of short-range radio interfaces.
The method according to the invention can be executed by means of a software program or a software program product, which is preferably saved onto a data carrier, if it is operated with the central computing unit.
Thus, in particular with the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) and the simplification during coupling that accompanies this according to the method according to the invention, the advantages arise that:                even telephones without NFC benefit,        assistance calls for customers, acquaintances, hire car users can be carried out over the internet, without the vehicle having to be entered,        coupling for several vehicles can be carried out in a single step or can also be transferred to successively-used vehicles/“subsequent vehicles”, together with other personal settings,        the coupling can be cancelled without the vehicle having to be entered, for example if this was forgotten when returning or reselling the hire car.        